SOLV director hopes for record Oregon beach cleanup

Steven Nehl/The OregonianThe Oregon coast will get a spring cleaning this weekend when hundreds of volunteers hit the beach for SOLV's annual spring cleanup.

Jack McGowan wants to leave with a bang -- "guns blazing," says the outgoing executive director of SOLV, who will oversee his last beach cleanup on Saturday.

And it appears this winter's storms have provided the ammo: beaches strewn with more debris than usual -- from plastic bottles to, most likely, a kitchen sink.

If thousands of volunteers haul more than 54.3 tons of trash from Oregon's coastline, they will have met the season's stark challenge while handing McGowan a fitting bon voyage to his 18 years with the organization.

Beachcombers recently stumbled upon some notable treasures -- two cannons and several shipwrecks. McGowan doesn't expect such historic finds Saturday, but he's certain volunteers will collect record amounts of plastic bottles, fishing net, floats and cigarette butts. He's also lined up several winches to pull out weightier junk, such as car engines, refrigerators and tires.

"People scratch their heads and think, 'How can a car engine wash up on shore?' "

SOLV director Jack McGowan

Others might wonder how thousands of folks would show up in a hard rain to pick up garbage.
But that's been SOLV's magic: It held the first beach cleanup in the country in 1984, and now every state in the union has one.

Last year, in torrential rains, 4,500 Oregonians showed up and collected a record 54.3 tons of trash. This year, with a forecast of likely showers, the hope is for 6,000.

McGowan, who was paid $110,000 last year, will retire in May. His wife Jan, was SOLV's associate director until the end of last year. They say they're retiring because they want to slow down and involve themselves in quieter pursuits, such as fixing up their home in Sisters, on 17 acres along Indian Ford Meadow.

Their son, Travis, who grew up on his parents' trash talk, is a sophomore at Oregon State University.

McGowan said he will miss involvement in SOLV's cleanup projects, which he thinks have come to represent the depth of Oregon's environmental stewardship. "If anything can re-instill your faith in the spirit of Oregon and faith in humanity it's seeing thousands and thousands of volunteers in a common purpose."

He won't miss the fundraising, which supports a $2.2 million annual budget and a staff of 26.
"We start from scratch every year," he said. "It's brutal, the constant begging for dollars."

State agencies kick in about $8,250 annually for each of the two beach cleanups, in the spring and fall.

John Miller, chairman of SOLV's board, said McGowan took a modest nonprofit and turned it into a solid operation. "He and Jan have basically grown and nurtured the organization like it was their second child."

McGowan hopes a new fundraising campaign, launched earlier this month, will give the budget an extra cushion of about $250,000.

Other SOLV projects include river restoration, tree planting and an Earth Day cleanup of illegal dumpsites.

Gov. Tom McCall founded Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism in 1969. It's now known simply as SOLV, and it's part of the state's environmental psyche.

McGowan, a New Yorker, came to Oregon in 1970 and took over the top post at SOLV in 1990. Chatty and indefatigable, he is both mascot and leader.

A search for a new director has narrowed the field of applicants to three. A decision is expected within weeks.

McGowan said he'll continue to volunteer for beach cleanups and other events. "The realization has come to me it was never a job, it was never the money. It was that I was lucky enough to find my passion."
-- Gail Kinsey Hill; gailhill@news.oregonian.com